Better Than A Dream
by daysandweeks
Summary: Ariadne dreams of reuniting with Arthur. A/A fluff!


She's able to dream after the job. Ariadne knows that some people aren't but finds herself lucky to escape that fate—at first, that is. She soon realizes that her dreams are just distorted memories, though—nightmares about not being able to escape limbo, pleasant dreams where Arthur says, "Quick, give me a kiss."

It's those pleasant ones that torture her the most, actually. She dreams that he says those words in all sorts of places. In her favorite version he finds her after classes and she's not at all surprised to see him, as if it's natural for Arthur to be in Paris with her. "Quick, give me a kiss," he says after slinging an arm around her, and she does. They walk back to her apartment. They kiss some more. She always wakes up before she has time to peel off his clothes. He's wearing a suit with a vest, of course.

It's stupid of her, she realizes, but Ariadne always wonders if Arthur dreams the same things as she does. Maybe they don't need all that machinery and all those chemicals to share dreams. Or maybe they do and he's a lot closer than he seems and sneaks into her room every night and hooks her up…

She's a bit disgusted with herself for not being disturbed by the idea.

She considers creating her own dream world where she spends time with Arthur. It would probably be easier than tracking him down, after all, but she doesn't have the necessary equipment. She knows that if Cobb's ever contacted about another inception job—or if anyone from their team is, for that matter—she and Arthur will be reunited, but the jobs are bound to be few and far between. She can't wait that long. She tries sending him a text and then giving him a call but the number's been disconnected, or perhaps her phone just doesn't support oversea calls. She only calls her parents on her landline, after all.

Eventually Ariadne tells herself that she's being ridiculous. She goes on a few dates but never does anything more than kiss boys and then regret doing so. She wants her last kiss to be from Arthur, but it wasn't really, was it? That one quick kiss they shared wasn't necessarily real. Though he initiated it, the sensations were all perceived by her. It was a dream. And it wasn't even really _her_ dream.

She takes a few summer courses to make up for lost time from the inception job. It's the week of finals and she's just finished dropping off a paper when she steps outside and sees what to others must look like a businessman waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. Ariadne's heart skips a beat and she thinks that she must be dreaming again. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, though, Arthur doesn't say, "Quick, give me a kiss." So it must be real life. She's both highly disappointed and very happy.

"We've got another job," he tells her, following her as she leads him back to her apartment. There's no denying the electricity that bounces between them, both from the excitement of those words and their attraction, or at least the attraction Ariadne perceives.

However, Arthur doesn't so much as stop her to hug her hello and she's so upset by this that she stops in the middle of the sidewalk and turns around and pulls him to her. He freezes for a moment and then pats her back before returning the gesture, perhaps a bit less passionately. But it must be because he's surprised. It must be.

When they separate Ariadne lets out a small laugh and Arthur follows suit. "I'm happy to see you," she admits. "And I'm happy we have a job. God, I've felt like I was dying these past few months." The realization of it all hits her suddenly. She'd just been going through the motions. She can't picture doing the same things she's wanted to do for years now anymore. Inception is such a new, beautiful art. It's attracted her like the young man before her has.

Alright, he's attracted her a bit differently, but still.

Arthur smiles. "I've missed you too," he tells her.

They walk to her apartment and she wishes she'd cleaned up a bit more, though she's a relatively tidy person. She tells him to take a seat anywhere and when he does she notices him eyeing her drawings on the coffee table before him. The maze she drew before that first job sits towards the bottom of the pile, a small corner sticking out. Arthur eyes it. Ariadne wonders if he knows what it is.

"Are you hungry?" she asks. "Or do you want some coffee?"

"A coffee would be nice."

She begins brewing a pot and then sits down on the couch beside him. "So tell me about this job," she says, arching a brow, both excited and a bit dissatisfied. It would've been nicer if he showed up just for her, after all.

Arthur launches into the details and Ariadne listens, completely forgetting about the coffee in her enthusiasm. She finally remembers it and prepares them both cups as Arthur wraps up his speech, bringing out cream and sugar as well. She's forgotten what he takes, if she even ever knew. She watches him, wanting to know what his preferences are. Barely any sugar. A little bit more cream.

When they're silent for too long, Ariadne blurts out, "I thought I might be dreaming when I first saw you, but then I realized I wasn't."

Arthur leans forward, clearly interested, his brows raised. "Why's that?" he asks. "You still dream?"

She nods. "Yeah. I mean… They're more like memories, almost, except different."

"And how did you know this was real?" Arthur asks, urging her to go on.

Ariadne blushes, realizing that she's gone into territory that might turn dangerous. She remembers Mal and Cobb, lost in their dream world, one of them unable to escape. She remembers her own desire to get lost in a dream world with Arthur. But no, real life… Yes, this is much better.

"In my dreams, you would never greet me by saying we've got another job."

Arthur smirks and then nods his head to the side. "Yeah. I guess I have better manners in your dreams. I should've said hi first, sorry about that." He sets down his cup.

Ariadne follows suit and laughs a bit. "No, that's not what I meant," she insists, and then explains herself in a quiet voice. "You always say, 'Quick, give me a kiss.'"

She immediately looks at Arthur, nervous about how he'll respond to this bit of news. He glances down, a serious look on his face—though he quite often is serious, isn't he?—before looking her in the eyes and then down at her lips and then in the eyes again. "You're right to realize this isn't a dream, then."

Ariadne has no idea what he means. She bites her lips, supposing that what he means is that he doesn't want to kiss her, but then he inches closer and she realizes that he must mean something else. Her lips part as do his and in an instant they are joined. It all feels so real, so wonderful. It's not a dream. It's _better_ than a dream.

Arthur pulls away first. "I told myself _I_ wanted to kiss _you_ next time we met," he says quietly, his voice still serious. "Only I wasn't sure how you felt on the matter."

She wipes away his doubts by wrapping a hand around the back of his neck and kissing him again.

**A/N:** _Blah, I know there are already plenty of fics exploring this concept in relation to the pairing but I love them so much. I absolutely had to write some fluff. Though I ship Arthur/pretty much everyone. But A/A is the best! Please review! This is my first time writing a fic for a non-book!_


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